Well, I've decided on ENGL after some research on all sorts of different amps, I absolutely love the tone on them. I play all types of metal, from Nile to Bodom, to My Dying Bride. Initially, I wanted the powerball, but it's too expensive retail, and I can't find it used anywhere in Canada. So my question is this, which of the ENGL have the best tone for that deep, dark, metal sound? Also, how does the powerball compare to the others? and, if a stack is viable, should I buy an ENGL cab, or something like a mesa or EVH? Thanks for your time.

assuming it's similar to "modern, dark-ish, compressed-sounding modern high gain coupled with a decent clean channel", it's the one you want.

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I'll have to put the Classic T models on my to-try list. Shame the finish options there are Anachronism Gold, Nuclear Waste and Aged Clown, because in principle the plaintop is right up my alley.

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Presumably because the CCF (Combined Corksniffing Forces) of MLP and Gibson forums would rise up against them, plunging the land into war.

major problem in canada, though, is that they may be expensive for what you're getting.

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Quote by K33nbl4d3

I'll have to put the Classic T models on my to-try list. Shame the finish options there are Anachronism Gold, Nuclear Waste and Aged Clown, because in principle the plaintop is right up my alley.

Quote by K33nbl4d3

Presumably because the CCF (Combined Corksniffing Forces) of MLP and Gibson forums would rise up against them, plunging the land into war.

^ yeah, that's why i said "dark-ish"... the fireball is dark-sounding, for an engl. they do seem to darken when you turn them up, though. But i haven't tried the fireball cranked.

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Quote by K33nbl4d3

I'll have to put the Classic T models on my to-try list. Shame the finish options there are Anachronism Gold, Nuclear Waste and Aged Clown, because in principle the plaintop is right up my alley.

Quote by K33nbl4d3

Presumably because the CCF (Combined Corksniffing Forces) of MLP and Gibson forums would rise up against them, plunging the land into war.

By dark I mean more black metal-ish, really crunchy bass and palm mutes that really pop out. Is the powerball "darker" than the fireball? and even if they are voiced brightly, would it be possible, say through EQ, to get a good "dark" sound? I'm in a toss-up between an ENGL Pro 2X12 or a Vader VC412BK 4X12 cabinet. They're around the same price.. gahh, I can't decide!

I have a Screamer but the Fireball would probably be better in this situation although not by that much in all honesty. I suppose a Powerball is out of your price range? I can't remember how much they go for in NA.

"It's not a beard, it's an animal I've trained to sit very still" - Bill Bailey

i'd have thought the fireball was slightly darker than the powerball, but it might be possible to eq the powerball to sound a little like a fireball, with those mid-shift knobs.

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Quote by K33nbl4d3

I'll have to put the Classic T models on my to-try list. Shame the finish options there are Anachronism Gold, Nuclear Waste and Aged Clown, because in principle the plaintop is right up my alley.

Quote by K33nbl4d3

Presumably because the CCF (Combined Corksniffing Forces) of MLP and Gibson forums would rise up against them, plunging the land into war.

i'd have thought the fireball was slightly darker than the powerball, but it might be possible to eq the powerball to sound a little like a fireball, with those mid-shift knobs.

Dave is pretty close here.

The Fireball, despite it's name, is actually a re-worked version of the Savage 60, which is the little brother to the Savage 120 amplifier. The Savage line is a bit darker and grittier than the Screamer and Powerball.

The Fireball is darker and more compressed than the Powerball right out of the box, which due to it's channel selection and extra features (like the 2 mids voicing and corresponding knobs) allow a broader tonal range. The Powerball however is a bit more tweakable and can easily get a darker tone with the right equip.

I say the right equip because it's very touchy. I've had mine for a few years now and I own a wide range of guitars.

To get the tone I currently enjoy I play a Gibson Les Paul Standard with a relatively scooped sounding pickup (BKP Miracle Man bridge) and the pickup positioned and dialed in perfectly (down to every last pole-piece, which play a big part in the tone.) It gives me a very dark but defined and cutting tone. Not alot of bass, but very tight, very punchy, aggressive tone with great leads.

I've played through my strats, through jacksons and ibanez, other gibsons, ETC. The 'darkness' of the tone of my ENGL amp has been largely dependent on the guitar I've played through it. If you play a Suhr strat or an alder ESP (like on the RSA clips) with bright pickups (like single coils or EMG 81's) you will get a very bright tone through it.

Overall, the fireball would be easier out of the box to get a tone (and it does high gain well) but the Powerball is more versatile and can easily achieve a similar tone with a little bit of thinking. It's just more expensive.

EDIT: i should add, i wasn't that fussed on the fireball i tried... it felt too dark, and too compressed... without additional pedals, you pretty much have clean and modern death metal, with nothing in-between.

I'm a bit wary of saying I prefer the powerball to the fireball, as it's absolutely ages since I've tried one, and my preferences and ear for tone have changed a lot, but I'm still pretty sure I'd vastly prefer a powerball to a fireball. I played an SE recently, and really liked that, and an SE is just like a "better" (or more versatile) powerball (kinda like a powerball combined with a savage, so I hear).

Of course, I don't play much, if any, modern death metal, so I'm probably extremely biased as regards that, lol. I like having the versatility to get that really saturated modern high gain tone (which is why i have an engl), but if I can't get that 80's hot-rodded marshall tone as well (which you can with a blackmore or savage se, or indeed SE; even a powerball to some extent), i'm not interested, haha. But for me at least, the powerball would be worth the extra. That being said, don't discount the blackmore, though it must be said that if you only play modern metal, the powerball or fireball is probably a better choice (though I have heard of modern metallers who prefer the blackmore)...

personal preference, I guess.

I'm an idiot and I accidentally clicked the "Remove all subscriptions" button. If it seems like I'm ignoring you, I'm not, I'm just no longer subscribed to the thread. If you quote me or do the @user thing at me, hopefully it'll notify me through my notifications and I'll get back to you.

Quote by K33nbl4d3

I'll have to put the Classic T models on my to-try list. Shame the finish options there are Anachronism Gold, Nuclear Waste and Aged Clown, because in principle the plaintop is right up my alley.

Quote by K33nbl4d3

Presumably because the CCF (Combined Corksniffing Forces) of MLP and Gibson forums would rise up against them, plunging the land into war.

Hope you get an answer. You really should post back here once you get it, you're going through the same thing I'll be going through in a few months when I finally move and can afford My new rig. Powerball, Fireball, or Mark IV....

Theres something about the midrange of ENGLs, namely powerball and fireball which kinda turns me off. At low volumes it sounds nice and all, but once you turn up the volume, the mids kinda thins out and has this "artificial" tone to it. Meh i dunno how to describe it. Also, because of this, it makes the amp sound very 2d. It records well but in a band situation it *might* have cutting problems.

Try em before buying, crank it loud if you can, and listen to the mids. May or may not be your cuppa tea. But I have to say their cleans are very nice.

The Powerball is the hottest ENGL Made. More than the fireball or screamer. The Powerball has the cleanest voicing and the best ballence of mids and highs. The Fireball is low mid focused. Almost a scooped voicing. My recomindation is a Powerball.

The Powerball is the hottest ENGL Made. More than the fireball or screamer. The Powerball has the cleanest voicing and the best ballence of mids and highs. The Fireball is low mid focused. Almost a scooped voicing. My recomindation is a Powerball.

by hottest do you mean "best" or "most high gain"?

if you mean "most high gain", i'd agreed, but wouldn't agree on "best".

I'm an idiot and I accidentally clicked the "Remove all subscriptions" button. If it seems like I'm ignoring you, I'm not, I'm just no longer subscribed to the thread. If you quote me or do the @user thing at me, hopefully it'll notify me through my notifications and I'll get back to you.

Quote by K33nbl4d3

I'll have to put the Classic T models on my to-try list. Shame the finish options there are Anachronism Gold, Nuclear Waste and Aged Clown, because in principle the plaintop is right up my alley.

Quote by K33nbl4d3

Presumably because the CCF (Combined Corksniffing Forces) of MLP and Gibson forums would rise up against them, plunging the land into war.